Please hack my friend's kid.

Ok. I don't know every single detail of this but I'll do my best. I really want to help my friend out if I can.

Her 5 year old son constantly - every few weeks - gets throat infections combined with a very high fever, around 40 degrees C (I think that's around 104 F). Each time, he gets high strength antibiotics. No one knows why this is happening or what's going on. One interesting note: He left the country for three months and he was fine, didn't get sick once.

What could be doing this? I'm so sad that he keeps getting these antibiotics. :(

Any insight would be really great, thanks!

I should also mention that his mother has hemophilia. Could that have anything to do with this?

EDITED TO ADD: His mother does NOT have hemophilia. I was wrong about that. She has another medical issue, but this has nothing to do with her son.

Clearly if his tonsils are healthy & not the culprit here then they should not be removed. If there are very unhealthy and harboring illness then they absolutely should be removed. Being constantly sick with a high fever and very unhealthy tonsils can have VERY bad side effects, not just pretty bad. I have gone through this personally, as had 1 of my 3 children. I have been a child therapist for 25 years & I have known many children to have tonsils removed & the benefits have been huge. Antibiotics dont even get into tonsils well it turns out. MDs don't do unneeded tonsillectomies like in past

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Answers

When I was a kid, my brothers and I had recurring and rotating strep infections for more than a year. The sick one would take antibiotics, get over it and then the next kid would come down with it. Turns out that strep can linger on skin, clothes etc, and people can carry it with no symptoms. Our doctor finally dosed the whole family at one time, and my mother (the '60s, dads didn't do that) washed everything in sight. No more strep.

Antibiotics are not great, and overuse leads to resistant strains but strep is one of the reasons avoiding resistance is important. Strep can lead to some really awful things that barely exist today but can kill or blind - Rheumatic fever and scarlet fever.

Added: If his doctor is prescribing antibiotics without his having a bacterial infection (strep is bacterial), then it's time to find a new doctor.

What you're saying about hemophilia confuses me a little. Because of the way hemophilia is inherited, if his mother has full-blown hemophilia, there is every reason to believe that he has it as well, and he should have been tested for it at birth. Even if she's only a carrier (who can sometimes show more minor symptoms), he had a 50% chance of inheriting it.

While it probably isn't the cause of his temps, it would certainly be something they'd want to test for (if they haven't already) before even thinking about any sort of surgery.

Maternal hemophilia and frequent infections would also prompt me to get an HIV test if that hasn't already been ruled out.

The fact that he didn't get sick when away from home would make me look for environmental allergies (which could lower resistance to infection) or toxins.

He needs a good doctor for sure.
If this was my child I would insist that his throat be swabbed and cultured so they know what they are dealing with.
Have they ruled out mold in the house?
Perhaps his tonsils should be removed (well worth it in many cases).
And yes, you are right, his gut flora is likely annihilated and needs to be replenished.... this in fact could be contributing to inability to fight infections. Its important to know that the gut plays a key role in fighting off illness.
There are good quality probiotics that come in powder form and can be mixed with many foods for children. VSL3 and Klaire Labs come to mind. Replenishing his gut will take some money but it must be done....
Good luck.

Clearly if his tonsils are healthy & not the culprit here then they should not be removed. If there are very unhealthy and harboring illness then they absolutely should be removed. Being constantly sick with a high fever and very unhealthy tonsils can have VERY bad side effects, not just pretty bad. I have gone through this personally, as had 1 of my 3 children. I have been a child therapist for 25 years & I have known many children to have tonsils removed & the benefits have been huge. Antibiotics dont even get into tonsils well it turns out. MDs don't do unneeded tonsillectomies like in past

When I was that same age I would constantly get ear infections, followed by drainage from my ears, and thus over time throat infections and other uncomfortable issues. I had to have tube put in my ears when I was young, it is a fairly simple surgery and doesn't really cause any issues. After a while the tubs fall out. I have scarring in my ear canal's now, and I'm not sure if that's what kept me from getting the issues, but it did.

I still will get an occasional ear infection with terrible drainage (I have to carry around cotton balls when I get one).

Definitely an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist, as well as a few blood tests for an deficiencies or other anomalies that need to be dealt with asap. If they suggest ear tubes, trust me it helps and he will be alright.

What kind of house cleaning supplies do they use? What soap do they wash their hands with? What kind of shampoo does he use? Any chemicals around the house - bleach? Do they use any heaters?

What are the walls made of? Is it an old house or a brand new one?

Kids have lower immunity than adults. Their immune system can suffer from chemicals, materials, etc.

I recommend getting a book from the library "Home Sweet Home". It is about common dangers in the household. If the house is completely detoxified, then at least they ruled one thing out and start thinking of other reasons.